Exploring the meaning given by parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities in the early years to their interactions with practitioners

This thesis applies a narrative methodology to explore the meaning parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in the early years give to their interactions with practitioners and considers the implications of the parents’ narratives in educational psychologists’ and other practitioners’ practice.
I review cultural narratives on parenting in Western societies which put parents in the ‘eye of the storm’, making them responsible for promoting their child’s development according to ‘normal’ standards, whilst societal factors are relatively neglected. In this context, parents' reports in research of stigmatising interactions with practitioners and others have not essentially changed over time despite their consistent calls to work collaboratively with practitioners (Green et al, 2013). In addition, important shortcomings of the needs-based approach to disability applied in the current SEND system (DfE, 2022) indicate that parents have not been listened to in order to improve their experiences. Parents of young children who are learning to coordinate their children’s care in this system might be the most affected. Alternative theoretical approaches to disability and child development are also discussed.
I use narrative intervening to co-construct the stories of three parents of young children and I analyse the interviews by applying elements of Emerson and Frosh (2004) critical narrative analysis to highlight the influence of psychological and social narratives on the parents' stories. A complex tapestry of narratives unfolds in this analysis. I interpret that the parents involved in this study navigate self-blame and feelings of loss and joy which seem to be rooted in deep parental love. They appear to value having relationships of trust with practitioners who are able to contain emotions generated against a backdrop of dominant social discourses that emphasise their child's needs at the expense of their strengths and position parents as responsible for their differences. I conclude that these parents’ narratives support the need to broaden discourses around disability and child development in order to eradicate the oppression of parents, and in so doing promote emancipatory practice.